Drum Hill Fitness

Group boxing class is starting back up Saturday mornings at 11am in April. Ask Ryan or stop at the front desk for more details.

...Travis Webb

The human muscle system is a continuous network of muscle throughout your entire body. There are muscles of different sizes, shapes and functions. All of which allowing us to move from place to place and perform daily functions. Your metabolism is greatly affected by how much muscle you have and how active you are being.

A simple way of thinking about how muscle works is this. Muscles are made up of cells, these cells need fuel to function. If you have a lot of fuel (body fat) in your body you need more muscle in order to burn that fuel. The more you move around, the more fuel the muscle cells need to keep you moving. Therefore the more muscle you have and the more you move the more fuel you will burn.

To gain muscle throughout your body evenly it’s important to develop a full body workout routine that can be performed throughout the week. Each muscle group should be worked on a regular basis to promote balance and even strength gains. This will also allow for more body fat reduction in problem areas such as your mid section. Weight training will help to promote muscle growth or maintenance. Cardio will ask your existing muscle to function more. Do your best to make a balance of both and you will see more results from your metabolism.

...By Travis Webb

One of the main features of any gym is the dumbbells and barbells. Each piece of equipment can be used by either hands or two depending on the exercise. Dumbbells are primarily used with one handed exercises. Barbells are primarily use two hands and can be found with either fixed weights or plate additions. The barbell can also be found as a straight bar or EZ bar. The main feature of both the dumbbell and barbell is the concept of “dead weight,” so it is very similar to using objects of day to day life. Along with explaining the concepts of dumbbells and barbells, I will briefly explain how to keep your joints safe while using them in exercise.

We all have dominant hands and dominant feet, so it makes perfect sense that you would favor one side of your body over the other in exercise. Normally your dominant side will take the majority of the load in any exercise, this means that as you get stronger an imbalance may start to form. Imbalances normally lead to discomfort. One of the uses of dumbbells is to find whether or not one side of your body is stronger than the other. If one side is stronger than the other all you have to do is continue working out at the same weight range until the other side catches up.

Barbells can allow for more stability in an exercise than dumbbells and you can lift more weight. You are able to focus all of your effort on one point rather than two; this makes it easier to balance. When it is easier to balance it is also easier to lift more weight. While using plates on a barbell always make sure to put the clips on the ends that keep the plates in a fixed position.

You can basically use dumbbells or barbells in the same exercise; it just depends on how much weight you are lifting. Whether its chest presses, rows, bicep curls or squats, using the correct weight will protect your joints. Also a basic rule is never extent any joint all the way while holding weight. No matter what the exercise may be, extending your arms or legs all the way is not a good idea! Always keep a slight bend in your joints while exercising and you will be less susceptible to injury.

...By Travis Webb

One of the most important areas of your body is the core. Over time the fitness community has changed their focus of ab workouts to core workouts. This is mainly due to our growing understanding in how the core works. As our knowledge has grown we have also developed equipment to activate and utilize the core more efficiently such as the stability ball.

Your core wraps around your torso and includes a variety of muscles in your hips. One of the ideas behind sitting on a unstable surface, like a stability ball, is more muscles will be recruited to stabilize as you move. If your form is correct you can help stabilize your core in this fashion. Some of the benefits include reduced lower back pain, improved balance, increases in strength throughout the body, improved coordination and decreased susceptibility to injury.

You can use a stability ball in sit ups, pushups, squats as well as hundreds of other exercises ranging from beginner to expert. I’m frequently asked what size stability ball should be used and the answer is in how tall you are and what exercise you are looking to do. The size and density of a stability ball can vary from large to small and high density to low density. I’ve found a method to be standing next to the stability ball, if it is as high as your knee you are good to go!

Join with a Friend and Get Started with No Money out of Pocket for You and Give Your friend a Free Month.

When you join with a friend at Best Fitness of Drum Hill until the end of January you will pay nothing and your friend will only pay one month down.

See Club for details.

Statistics show that most members will refer at least three friends and/or family members to the club in their first year. At Best Fitness we will reduce your monthly dues or give you’re a FREE month for every person you bring in.

Stop by and ask a Fitness Counselor for more details.

By... Travis Webb

Each new year there is a huge boost in goal setting and the drive to become more physically fit. Gyms become packed with members trying to achieve a multitude of goals. Some include losing weight, gaining muscle, strengthening a damaged area or just overall health. While goal setting it is very important to think outside the box and come up with a variety of goals to stay driven.

Here are a couple ideas you can add to your goal list. Some can be small such as doing pushups or holding a plank for a certain amount of time. Other harder goals could be doing a full pull up or running a certain distance. You could even pick a mud race like the warrior dash, rugged maniac, Spartan sprint or even the tough mudder. Mud races are a GREAT way to experience something brand new and succeed through a challenge!

The most successful members and clients are those who focus on what drives them. To make life more interesting come up with your own motivation and continue to evolve. You could be very surprised with how far you can go and how much you achieve if you continue to challenge yourself forward. My goal for 2012 is to run all four mud races, maybe I’ll see you there!

...By Dave Melton

Bring a Buddy for Free!

5 reasons why working out with a partner will help achieve your fitness goals:

1. Time goes by faster with a friend
2. It creates accountability
3. Friends can give you an objective view
4. You will always have a spotter
5. You can celebrate successes together

Best Fitness of Drum Hill wants to help you achieve your goals with your buddies so we have added an option that will allow you to bring a friend with you for free every time you come to the gym. Whether you want to bring a spouse or child for their daily exercise or an occasional buddy to join in on your workout you will be able to do so. Ask at the front desk how you can bring a friend for FREE.

...By Travis Webb

Each Fitness Facility has their own machines, but what can they be used for? I’ve heard from countless members along with none members ask Fitness Professionals for machine based work-out programs. Each person having their own reasons for their request but the unified thought process was machines were a good place to start. The good thing is machines can be a good place to start and they can be used for a variety of reasons.

Each machine has illustrations that show you how to work the machine and which muscle group should be worked. There are positive and negative aspects to the simplicity of these illustrations. The positive is it’s relatively easy to look at the illustration and figure out what to do. Another positive is machines are good for preparing your body for more complex exercises. The negative aspect are not knowing how many repetitions, sets, and rest periods you should be using per machine. If you’ve ever wondered whether or not an exercise is being done correctly its always best to consult a professional.

To solve the problem of repetitions, sets, rest periods and even weight used there are a couple pointers to follow. First of all it’s better to use the machine at the lowest weight so your body can learn the range of motion. There is no point in using heavy weight first, you could injure yourself. To figure out the rest of the details you should first know what goals you’re trying to achieve. In most cases, but not all, using lighter weight with higher repetitions such as 3 sets of 12 repetitions, will help with weight reduction. In most cases, but not all, using heavier weight for 3 sets of 4-8 repetitions, will help in gaining muscle. No matter what, if you start lifting weights you will gain muscle in some degree.

Now that you have an idea of the details you can refer to a professional to guide you through each machine. Everyone has their favorite machines but that doesn’t mean you should only do parts of your body. Include as much diversity in your workouts as possible and you will reach your goals faster. Remember! Machines are a good place to start but there are always more complex exercises that will get you better results from your body. Look forward to changing workouts and your new body is all yours.

One of the biggest challenges many of my clients face is eating on the go. Traveling to and from work along with any other day to day responsibilities can make it difficult to eat all the required daily calories. So how do you go about solving this dilemma? First solution is in knowing what your food options are. Once you know what your food options are you can start making travel friendly combinations.

Creating food combinations that you will enjoy can be a bit confusing at first so here are some basic concepts to follow. Travel friendly food options can be wraps, shakes, smoothies and trail mixes. Each of these options can be eaten on the go with little to no clean up. All that’s needed is a bit of preparation time in the beginning of your day or end of the previous day.
 
I’ve found with wraps the more options you mix inside the better tasting it can be. Some options you can combine are meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits and breads. Depending on your flavor preferences each wrap can provide you with a variety of flavors as well as the calories. One wrap idea could be sliced chicken, spinach, goat cheese and dried cranberries on a wheat wrap.
 
Shakes and smoothies are excellent during the warmer seasons, for dessert or when you want to get an extra bit of protein in your meal plan. You can use yogurt, Greek Yogurt, milks, soy milk, fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, chocolate and protein powders. You can mix ingredients with ice cream or frozen yogurt to make a frozen treat as well. Your personal preferences will allow you to control how much of each ingredient to add in your drink as well!
 
Another popular on the go food option is trail mix. You can combine any of your favorite nuts, dried fruits, dark chocolate chips, sesame sticks, pretzels, even peanut M&M’s. You can make bags of these wholesome foods in the beginning of the week and take them to work with you. Whether you are stuck in traffic, going for a hike, or sitting at your desk, trail mixes can give you the energy you need to keep going.
 
Remember to speak with a health professional to clarify what your necessary caloric intake should be and find out about any food allergies. The more you exercise the more calories you need to keep your energy levels high. Continue eating throughout the day with any one of these quick options and it will be a lot easier to meet your caloric needs. Keep experimenting with your favorite combinations and your meal plan will also stay new and exciting!